Shoe lasting machines

ABSTRACT

A SHOE LASTING MACHINE HAVING A PLURALITY OF WIPERS ADJUSTABLY SECURED TOGETHER AS A UNIT TO FORM A VARIABLY CURVED SURFACE FOR WIPING A SHOE UPPER OVER THE SIDE OF A LAST.

Feb. :9 'l 9 7l l v RMBOWLEF 3,561,028

snot: LASTING MACHINES Filed May 2 6", 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet I Feb. 9, 1971 R. M. IBOWLER SHOE LASTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 26, 1969 I 7 FebQQ, 1.971 R.,M.B6WVLER I 3,561,023

{SHOE LASTING MACHINES Filed May 23,- 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3,561,028 SHOE LASTING MACHINES Raymond M. Bowler, 46 Lake St., Salem, N.H. 03079 Filed May 26, 1969, Ser. No. 827,697 Int. Cl. A43d 21/00, 23/00 US. Cl. 12-12 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shoe lasting machine having a pluralit of wipers adjustably secured together as a unit to form a variably curved surface for wiping a shoe upper over the side of a last.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates generally to machines for lasting shoes and particularly to an improved means for wiping a shoe upper along the side of a last inwardly over the last bottom.

Description of the prior art US. Pat. No. 3,226,746 shows a shoe lasting machine having means for lasting shoes around the forepart and along the sides to the heel breast area. The machine was provided with wipers which lasted the ball region of the shoe as well as additional wipers hinged thereto which lasted the shank area back to the breast line adjacent the heel end. Machines of this type have found general acceptance due to their capability of lasting around the entire forepart of the shoe from the breastline. However, the ball and shank wipers of that machine were provided with a fixed curvature which suited the average contour of the shoe bottom which curves heightwise from the generally flat forepart toward the heel end of the shoe. These wipers performed adequately when the curvature of the shoe bottom was not too severe, but where curvatures varied considerably between shoes processed the flexibility of the wipers was insufficient to conform to the shoe bottom and adequately press the margin of the upper along the entire ball and shank region. For adequate pressure to be applied, the wipers had to be relatively stiff and thus were not sufficiently flexible to conform to varying curvatures. To overcome this deficiency, it was necessary to provide a number of wipers of different curvatures which were interchanged to process a wide range of shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide improved, universally adjustable, wipers for lasting the ball and shank areas of a wide range of shoes. To this end, a pluralit of cooperating wipers are adjustably secured together as a unit to form a variably curved wiping surface which will closely conform to the heightwise curvature of any shoe bottom.

One feature of the invention provides for the wipers to be moved as a unit inwardly of the shoe to wipe the upper over the shoe bottom as well as to be urged heightwise to apply a bedding pressure for securing the upper margin to an insole such as by adhesive.

Another feature provides for adjusting the wipers as a unit to generally conform to the heightwise slope of the shoe bottom with the wipers each being individually adjustable to suit the curvature of the slope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical machine having forepart lasting means and also embodying the ball and shank lasting means of the present invention;

3,561,028 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 FIG. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of one portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the ball and shank lasting means with parts broken away;

FIG. 4 is an inverted plan view showing the mounting of the ball and shank wipers;

FIG. 5 is a section on line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the shank wipers adjusted to operate on a different shoe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A typical machine in which the invention may be embodied is disclosed in said patent. As therein described such machines are usually provided with a shoe rest which supports the forepart of a shoe comprising an upper and an insole assembled on a last. Grippers generally are provided to tension the upper over the forepart and along the sides of the last. After tensioning, the upper is wiped inwardly around the forepart and also along the sides in the ball and shank areas. A heel rest is usually also provided to support the shoe against wiper advancing and closing movements. As in said patent as well as in the present machine, the heel rest also acts as a gauge which uses the heel end of the shoe as a reference point relative to which the ball and shank wipers are spaced according to the size of shoe to be operated upon.

The ball wipers 28 (FIGS. 1 and 2) each comprise a flexible plate having an irregular outline substantially as shown. Along its outer edge, the Wiper is secured to an inclined surface 29 on the inner end of a slide 30. The inner edge of the ball wiper rests on an associated forepart wiper 26 and curves heightwise therefrom toward the heel end of a shoe in the machine and is adapted to conform generally to the curve of the shoe bottom at the ball line. For moving the ball wiper inwardl to wipe the ball region of the upper margin over the last bottom, the slide 30 is mounted in a guideway 31 in the underside of a bracket secured to an associated slide 94 (which corresponds to a similar element in the above-identified patent). The outer end of the slide 30 is connected by a link 32 to one arm of a bell crank 33 pivoted at 34 on the bracket. The other arm of the bell crank is connected by a pin and slot connection 35 to a piston rod 36 extending from a cylinder 37 secured to the machine frame. As the forepart wipers 26 are advanced and closed widthwise to wipe the upper about the forepart, the ball wipers 28 are also moved inwardly by operation of the cylinders 37 which swing the bell crank 33 inwardly as seen in FIG. 2.

Associated with each ball wiper 28 is a plurality of wiper plates 38 which are adapted to wipe in the upper along the shank area of the shoe simultaneously with the operation of the ball wiper. To this end, each plate 38 at at inner end is provided with a curved lip 39 adapted to initially engage the upper margin. Each plate 38 also is individually pivoted at (FIGS. 4-6) for limited rocking movement on one end of pairs of individual members 40. Each pair of members is pivoted at its other end on a pin 41 carried at one end of an adjustable lever 42. Each pair is also provided with slots 43 aligned with similar slots in the other pairs of associated members and together the slots receive a bolt 44 extending from the lever. A nut 45 on the bolt acts to lock the members and hence also the wipers together and to the lever 42 to form a unitary shank wiping unit. The plates 38 overlap each other with the innermost plate being overlapped by the heelward end of the ball wiper 28 to form a continuous surface 53. By adjusting each pair of members 40 relative to the other pairs and to the lever 42, when the nut 45 is loosened, the curvature of the wiping surface can be varied infinitely to suit the curvature of the shank area of the bottom of any shoe to be operated upon. This becomes obvious by a comparison of the relative positions of the various parts in FIGS. and 6. The adjustable lever 42 is pivoted at 46 on one arm 47 of a two armed lever 48 pivoted on a lug 49 formed on a bracket 50 secured to the slide 30. For adjusting the shank wiper unit to suit the heightwise slope of the shank area of the shoe a bolt 51 (FIGS. 3 and 5) depending from a web on the lever 48 extends through a lug 66 on the adjustable lever 42 and an adjusting nut 52 on the bolt determines the angular relation between the levers. A spring 67 interposed between the levers holds the levers apart in adjusted relation and offers resiliency to ensure that the slope of the wiper surface 53 conforms to that of the shoe bottom.

As the ball and shank wipers are moved inwardly by operation of the cylinders 37, they first engage the upper margin at a location above the level of the shoe bottom. This initial point of engagement is determined by an adjustable stop 54 (FIG. 3) which is engaged by the upper ends of links 55 which connect the other arm 56 of the lever 48 to the lower end of a piston rod 57. The rod extends from a cylinder 58 through the stop 54. The upper end of the piston rod has a piston 59 which holds the links 55 against the stop 54 when the wipers are moved inwardly. Fluid pressure introduced through a tube 60 to a portion of the cylinder under the piston 59 exerts a relatively light force which as the wipers move inwardly under the shoe bottom, permit the wipers to yield down to the level of the shoe bottom, forcing fluid from the cylinder portion 61. When the wipers are fully under the shoe bottom, fluid is fed to a portion 62 in the cylinder to move a piston 63 which slides freely on the rod 57 until it engages the underside of the piston 59 thereby applying a relatively heavy bedding pressure to the ball and shank wipers 28, 38 due to the larger size of the piston 63. At this time, fluid is exhausted through the tube 60 so the full force of piston 63 is effective. At the end of a predetermined dwell suflicient for the upper margin to be firmly adhered to the insole bottom such as by adhesive, the fluid pressure is exhausted from the cylinder 58 through a tube 64 and the fluid connections to cylinders 37 are reversed to swing the bell cranks 33 outwardly as seen in FIG. 1 retracting the slide 30 and the ball and shank wipers to their starting positions.

Prior to the wiping movements of the ball and shank wipers, they are positioned lengthwise of the shoe to be operated upon to locate the wipers accurately with respect to the areas of the shoe on which they are to operate. To this end, the slides 94 are mounted for lengthwise movement in guideways 96 in the head of the machine. The slides are connected to the heel rest by flexible cables 24 in a manner described in said patent. Movement of the heel rest into engagement with the heel end of a shoe to be operated upon imparts a proportional movement to each slide 94 to locate the ball and shank wipers in predetermined positions lengthwise of the shoe according to its size. The particular manner in which the proportional movement is imparted to the slides 94 does not form a part of the present invention so will not be described herein in detail. For a detailed explanation, reference may be had to said patent.

The foregoing describes only one preferred embodiment of the invention and it should be obvious that the invention may be used in machines other than the one disclosed in said patent. The specific mechanisms for mounting and operating the ball and shank wipers disclosed also may be varied considerably by changes in construction and substitution of various parts without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for lasting a shoe upper over a last, a unit adapted to wipe the upper along the side of the last inwardly over the last bottom, said unit including a plurality of cooperating wipers adjustably secured together to form a variably curved surface corresponding generally to the lengthwise curvature of the last bottom, means mounting the wipers to swing heightwise as a unit so said surface generally corresponds to the heightwise slope of the last bottom, means for moving the mounting means widthwise of the last to cause the wipers to wipe the upper inwardly over the last bottom and means for moving the mounting means heightwise of the last to cause said surface to press the upper against the last bottom.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the wipers are each mounted on individual members adjustably secured to a lever pivoted on an axis extending widthwise of the last.

3. A machine according to claim 2 in which the wipers are mounted on said members for limited rocking movement.

4. A machine according to claim 2 in which the lever is pivoted on another lever forming said wiper mounting means and said another lever is movable bodily widthwise by the widthwise moving means and is swingable heightwise by the heightwise moving means.

5. A machine according to claim 1 in which the heightwise moving means is effective to apply a relatively light yieldable force while the widthwise moving means causes the wipers to wipe the upper inwardly over the last bottom and is effective to apply a greater force after the wipers have completed their inward movement.

6. A machine according to claim 4 in which the widthwise moving means includes a slide on which said another lever is pivoted for heightwise swinging movement.

7. A machine according to claim 5 in which the heightwise moving means includes a fluid pressure means carried by the slide.

8. A machine according to claim 6 in which the slide is mounted in a guideway and the guideway is adjustable lengthwise of a shoe to be operated upon according to the size of the shoe for locating the unit so said surface is positioned to operate on the shoe bottom where the bottom curves heightwise toward the heel end from the generally flat forepart.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,178,742 4/1965 Vollhardt et a1 l2--12 3,226,746 1/1966 Marquis et al. 12-12 3,418,449 12/1968 Cleversey 12-12X PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 22%;? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,561, 028 Dated Februuj L 1971 Inventor(s) Raymond M. Bowler It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, after "03079 insert--Assignor to USM Corporation Siszned and sealed this 28th day of December 1 971 SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETGHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents 

